Majority of Middlesex police chiefs sign mutual aid agreement

Tuesday

Mar 18, 2014 at 11:02 AMMar 18, 2014 at 5:42 PM

The Middlesex County Chiefs of Police Association has signed the Massachusetts Interagency Mutual Aid Agreement, which will empower on-duty police officers in one jurisdiction to respond to public safety emergencies in other participating jurisdictions.

The Middlesex County Chiefs of Police Association has signed the Massachusetts Interagency Mutual Aid Agreement, which will empower on-duty police officers in one jurisdiction to respond to public safety emergencies in other participating jurisdictions.

The agreement, signed by 51 of the 54 communities in Middlesex County so far, as well as Wellesley, Lynnfield and Saugus, establishes a working partnership among the police departments that will provide community benefits in both everyday life and during a major incident.

First, police chiefs now have a formal method of requesting mutual aid assistance from neighboring communities during a critical incident or crime in progress.

Second, an on-duty police officer, who may be traveling to court for the day or transporting a prisoner, can act if they observe a drunk driver or other unlawful behavior while traveling through another community.

"Police officers are expected to always be police officers, and they should never have to put themselves or others in danger by hastily rushing to stop a reckless driver or wanted felon before the town line," said Weston Police Chief Steven Shaw, president of the Middlesex County Chiefs of Police Association. "Crime doesn't stop at the border, and this agreement will help ensure that criminals can't escape the law by escaping one community."

The agreement is the product of over a year of research and work by a special subcommittee of the Middlesex County Chiefs of Police Association, led by Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan.

Middlesex is the first county in Massachusetts to sign a county-wide Inter Agency Mutual Aid Agreement.

The agreement also covers nearly every community that the 2014 Boston Marathon will pass through.

"Major events in Massachusetts and elsewhere have highlighted the need for police departments to work together more effectively, and these events have shown that we are indeed more effective when we work together," said Bedford Police Chief Robert Bongiorno, secretary of the Middlesex County Chiefs of Police Association.

The agreement allows municipal police chiefs to retain command and control of incidents in their communities during incidents. It also requires police officers to notify the commanding officer of the community when they enter to conduct policing activities.

Of the three remaining departments in Middlesex County, the chiefs of the Waltham and Winchester Police departments have submitted the agreement to their municipal government for approval. Cambridge has not signed the agreement at this time.